In Pics: Who Got What After PM Modi's Cabinet Reshuffle

In Prime Minister Narendra Modi's mega cabinet reshuffle, four ministers - Dharmendra Pradhan, Nirmala Sitharaman, Piyush Goyal and Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi - have been promoted and nine new Minister of States appointed. The big changes included Defence portfolio going to Nirmala Sitharaman, who became the second woman to hold the portfolio after Indira Gandhi and Piyush Goyal who will take charge of the Railway Ministry.

Nirmala Sitharaman, who was promoted to the cabinet rank, is the country's new Defence Minister. She takes charge of the crucial ministry from Arun Jaitley, who was holding this portfolio in addition to the Finance Ministry. Notably, Ms Sitharaman is India's first woman Defence Minister after Indira Gandhi.

In other major changes today, Piyush Goyal has been assigned Railways, he takes over from Suresh Prabhu who will now be looking after the Commerce and Industry portfolio vacated by Nirmala Sitharaman.

Uma Bharti, who was divested of the prime Ganga rejuvenation and water resources portfolios, has been given charge of sanitation and drinking water. The two key ministries, held by Uma Bharti, have gone to Nitin Gadkari, who also retains transport, highways and shipping.

Athens Olympic silver medallist shooter Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore was appointed the new sports minister in place of Vijay Goel, who has been made the Minister of State in the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs and Minister of State in the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation. The 47-year-old Rathore also holds the charge of Minister of State in the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.

Dharmendra Pradhan, who was elevated to the rank of a Union Cabinet Minister during the Cabinet reshuffle expressed his gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP President Amit Shah for his new role. Mr Pradhan is now Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas; and Minister of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship.

Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi is the lone Muslim face among the list of ministers being promoted during the Cabinet reshuffle. He retains the portfolio of Minister of State for Minority Affairs.

Hardeep Singh Puri, who served as India's Permanent Representative to the United Nations from 2009 to 2013, is now Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.

Ex-bureaucrat Alphons Kannanthanam
, who was sworn in as a Minister of State during the Cabinet reshuffle, said it was a great opportunity for him to be a part of PM Modi's New India dream. He is now the Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Tourism; and Minister of State in the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology.

64-year-old Ashwini Kumar Choubey joins the cabinet as a Minister of State in the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. At present, Mr Choubey represents the Buxar Lok Sabha seat.

Virendra Kumar, 63, a Lok Sabha MP from Tikamgarh in Madhya Pradesh, is now Minister of State in the Ministry of Women and Child Development; and Minister of State in the Ministry of Minority Affairs.

Ananthkumar Hedge, 49, who has been a member of the 11th, 12th, 14th, 15th and 16th Lok Sabha from Uttara Kannada in Karnataka, is Minister of State in the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship.

Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, 49, is Minister of State in the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare. Mr Shekhawat is a Lok Sabha member from Jodhpur, Rajasthan and national general secretary of the farmers' wing of the BJP takes oath.

Satya Pal Singh, 61, a Lok Sabha MP from Baghpat, Uttar Pradesh, is Minister of State in the Ministry of Human Resource Development; and Minister of State in the Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation.

RK Singh, who is one of the nine new faces in the Union Council of Ministers, takes oath as Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Power; and Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy.

Shiva Pratap Shukla, a Rajya Sabha member from Uttar Pradesh, took oath as a minister in PM Narendra Modi's cabinet. He is now Minister of State in the Ministry of Finance.